Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. And right now your generous gift will have twice the impact thanks to the Proclaim the Gospel matching challenge active right now through December 31st. To give a special year-end gift, go to ptv.org slash podcast and click the donate button or follow the link in our show notes. Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. This is Robert Jeffress. In response to the horrific attack on Israel, I've written a brand new book called, Are We Living in the End Times?
Go to ptv.org to order your copy. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. Most people would agree that Jesus was a wise teacher, a compassionate servant, and a powerful speaker.
No doubt Jesus was great, but is Jesus enough? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress answers this question by showing how Jesus Christ is central to three important realms of this universe. Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome back to a fresh new week of Bible teaching on Pathway to Victory. I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends. Well, I can't think of a better subject than the one we'll be addressing today and throughout the end of the year. As we head into the Christmas season, I've chosen to concentrate solely on the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. The title I've selected for this special holiday series is The Incomparable Christ. And today we'll start with a message from the Book of Colossians.
Few other books in the Bible describe Christ's glory any better than this one. Now, today is special for another reason. This is my very first occasion to tell you about the brand new 2024 Pathway to Victory daily devotional. I'm introducing this resource today so that you can receive it in plenty of time to give away at Christmas or to be ready to use the devotional yourself in the new year. And when you give a generous gift today, I'll make sure you receive your leather bound copy. Plus, when you make a generous gift today, your gift is automatically matched and doubled because of the matching challenge that begins today.
Any amount you give between now and December 31st will have twice the impact because of the matching challenge. Now, I've been looking forward to presenting this series to you for a long time. Nothing is more important than having a genuine encounter with the living God through His Son. I titled this first message Jesus Christ, Creator, Originator, and Reconciler. Someone has said, Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy. He is the rock of geology. He is the lion and lamb of zoology. He is the healer of all diseases and the harmonizer of all discords. Great men in history have come and gone, but He lives on.
Satan couldn't seduce Him, Herod could not kill Him, death could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him. Praise God for Jesus Christ. What a magnificent description of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, such a description pales in comparison to the description we're going to read from Colossians chapter 1. I want you to turn to Colossians chapter 1 as we look at Jesus Christ, originator, creator, reconciler of all things. Colossians chapter 1. Now in our series in Colossians, remember these first 14 verses of Colossians 1 are introductory. Paul expresses his excitement for what was happening in the Colossian church. He then prays that perfect prayer for the Colossians that they would have a knowledge of God's will, that they would obey God's command, that they would experience God's power. And then when we come to verse 15, we are in the very heart of this letter. Now remember, the Colossian Christians were being tempted to embrace other doctrines, other belief systems. Not to discard Christianity, but to add to Christianity.
They were being told that Jesus Christ is important, but you need something else or someone else. And the apostle Paul writes this letter to the Colossians as well as to all of us to say, no, Jesus Christ is sufficient. He has sufficiently saved you. He has sufficiently secured you. He has sufficiently empowered you to live a victorious life.
You need nothing or no one other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, you say, how do I know that, Pastor? How do I know that Jesus is sufficient for my salvation?
Or maybe you're a Christian this morning. You say, I'm already a believer, but I'm going through a tremendous trial right now in my life. How do I know that Jesus Christ is sufficient to carry me through that trial? Well, Paul answers that question this morning by showing how Jesus Christ is central to three important realms of this universe. And when you understand the importance, the centrality of Jesus Christ in these areas, you'll understand why it is Jesus is sufficient for whatever need you're facing this morning. Look, first of all, at what Paul says in verse 15. He says, Jesus Christ is central in creation.
If you ever doubt the sufficiency of Christ to take care of your needs, remember His role in creation. You know, a lot of Christians are mistaken about this. They think the first time Jesus Christ ever began to exist was at Bethlehem.
They think that was the beginning of Jesus Christ. No, He is eternally co-existent, co-eternal with God the Father. And that's what Paul is going to remind us here. He's going to remind us of the role that Jesus played in the creation not only of the world, but of the universe. Notice the four truths about Christ and His relationship to creation. Paul says, first of all, Christ was pre-existent to the creation. He existed before the creation.
Look at verse 15. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and He is the firstborn of all creation. That word image is the word icon in Greek.
We transliterate that in our language. We talk about icons. Now, an icon in the Greek understanding could have one of two meanings. Sometimes the word icon meant an inferior representation of the original.
Let me illustrate that for you. I have a quarter here, and on the quarter there is an image, an icon of whom? George Washington. You know your coins well.
Thank you, sir, for that. George Washington. Now, this is an icon. It is an image of George Washington. You know, George Washington actually looked a lot better than the image on this coin. Even with his wooden teeth, he looked better than this image. This icon...
